pop a splint
v. phr.— «The injury is in the area behind the knee, and is caused by too much stress on a bone that results in its outer covering becoming inflamed. In racing parlance, it’s called “popping a splint.”» —“Bellamy Road Hurt, Off Triple Crown Trail” in New York City ABC News May 10, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...
A young caller from the Hudson Valley of New York wonders about his grandmother’s use of stemwinder to praise a speech she thought was excellent. In the early 1800s, people used pocket watches that had to be wound with a tiny key. Once someone...